The Internationaux de Strasbourg has concluded, and the winner is Madison Keys! She faced Danielle Collins in the final and did not have to play a long match. With this being her final year, Collins gave it her all but still came up short against her compatriot. Despite losing in the finals, Collins harbors no negative feelings as she lost to her former ‘pen pal’.

With the final stepping stone to the Roland-Garros complete, Keys lifted the trophy after a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Collins. The scoreboard shows a lackluster performance from the Miami Open winner. During her post-match speech, Collins claimed, “You know, I never like to lose in the finals, but if I am going to lose to someone, I don’t mind losing to you. You know, because we’re American buddies.”

Before her statement, Collins touched upon the bond the two shared. “What a special week, too, to play against one of my longtime friends, Maddy. We’ve known each other since we were 10 years old and used to be pen pals and used to write each other little letters. Yeah, some incredible memories.” 

Before being demolished by Keys, Collins handed all of her opponents a straight-set defeat leading up to the final. Regardless of the loss, Collins has made Martina Navratilova believe that she should be feared by anyone who faces her in the upcoming Roland-Garros. 

Even though the fire is alive in her heart, she is able to show love to the player who defeated her just one step away from the ultimate achievement. Collins’ words melted the hearts of those in the audience, and it won over another one of her compatriots, who became emotional at the speech.  

Canadian Open champion tearful at watching Americans rising higher

The Strasbourg final featured two American women, making Jessica Pegula emotional. She saw the post-match interview with the winner and the runner-up, including Collins’ heartwarming speech and felt happy. In the video of the speech, Pegula replied, “Love seeing 🇺🇸 Americans do well on the dirt 🥰.” 

After Chris Evert hung up the racquet, she could not find another American WTA player to carry on her legacy on the dirt. Serena Williams did win a few titles, but even she ultimately fell short of Evert’s dominance on the surface.

With two American in a clay final, we have two great contenders for the upcoming French Open. Along with them, Coco Gauff is also ready to wreak havoc. Can they overcome the challenge posed by the defending champion Iga Swiatek?